Bill's Story  The Battle and the End of the War
by Bad Mum
Summary: The story of the Battle of Hogwarts and beyond from Bill Weasley's point of view.  How the Weasleys found out about Fred's death, and what happened afterwards.  Runs parallel to the last chapters of Deathly Hallows.
1. See you later

I've been writing fanfic in my head for over 30 years – which just shows how very old I am! This is the first time I've ever put a story down on paper though, so please be merciful.

I wanted to explore how the Weasley family, particularly George, found out about Fred's death – how they got from the point where Percy and Harry hide his body to the point where they are all around him in the Great Hall, and what happens afterwards, especially when Charlie arrives. I didn't actually intend for George to find out in the way he does, but that was how it turned out. Nor did I start out meaning the whole thing to be from Bill's POV, but again, that's how it happened – and I do like Bill!

More to follow when I type it up.

(Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the Weasleys aren't mine. I wish they were.)

I've just re-read the book and had to re-write a bit since Bill and Percy shouldn't have been in the same place as the twins at the start of the battle... I think this works okay!

**Chapter 1**

The four Weasley brothers were fighting together. Bill and Percy had been with the Hogwarts defenders in the grounds, but had been driven inside as the Death Eaters relentless advance continued. By the Grand Staircase, they had come together with their twin brothers, who had relinquished their posts by the secret passageways when it had become obvious that the Castle's defences were breached. Sometimes side by side, sometimes back to back, the four brothers battled the advancing Death Eaters. Fred and George were clearly enjoying themselves – even as Fred blocked a curse that would have felled his twin, they were grinning, revelling in the fight and their chance to play a part in Voldemort's downfall. The tiny part of Bill's mind he could spare from fighting wondered if those two would ever take anything seriously. Percy was beside him, fighting more recklessly than even the twins, obviously delighting in being with his family again and longing to prove where his loyalties now lay – where they had probably always lain if his pride and ambition would have let him admit it earlier.

Bill wished he knew where the rest of the family were. It felt safe somehow to be fighting so closely with three of his brothers; he just wished the others were there too. He had not seen Fleur or his parents since the battle began. Another small part of Bill's brain was keeping up a silent refrain: "Let Fleur be okay, please let her be okay." Ron was off somewhere with Harry and Hermione of course; and Ginny, he devoutly hoped, was safe in the Room of Requirement as her parents had insisted. Charlie hadn't made it back yet – though Bill had a sneaking suspicion that the brother he was closest to would turn up before this was all over.

"George, Bill, watch your backs!" Fred's shout came just in time. Bill and George whirled, and their simultaneous spells felled the Death Eater who had been advancing behind them. But there were others with him, and Bill and George were separated from their brothers as they fought their way clear. Fred and Percy, meanwhile, were slowly and remorselessly being driven into a side corridor by the two hooded figures in front of them. The last Bill saw of them as the fight drove the two pairs of brothers apart, was Percy flinging spell after spell at their attackers, while Fred grinned and mouthed : "See you later, have fun" at him and George.


	2. Revelation

**Chapter 2 **

Bill and George advanced slowly, but for every Death Eater they felled or drove back, another seemed to appear. They were coming back to the thick of the fighting now: spells were flying in all directions, and Bill distinctly heard his father bellow: "Stupefy!" from somewhere ahead of where he and George fought side by side.

Suddenly, there was a huge bang, flashes of red and green light and a dull roar. It came from somewhere a long way behind them, but it seemed to shake the floor beneath their feet. With mounting terror, Bill realised that George was no longer fighting beside him, but had fallen, almost at his feet. Roaring "Protego!" and "Stupefy!" and halting the Death Eater in front of them in his tracks, Bill dropped to his knees, groping desperately for his brother.

"George! Where are you? Are you okay?" As he gripped his brother's shoulder, Bill felt George move, struggling to sit up, and he almost sobbed aloud in his relief that George was not dead, that he had not failed to protect his little brother. But as he crouched beside him, and as George struggled upright, Bill saw George's face and felt something inside himself freeze.

George's eyes were wide and terrified, his face was green-grey. He looked as if he were about to faint. Bill shook his shoulder gently. "George, what is it? Are you okay?" But somehow he knew what had happened, even before George spoke, in a strangled whisper that was almost a sob: "Fred. Fred. No, please, no! Bill, Fred's dead."

It never occurred to Bill to doubt what George had just told him. The twins were so close, it was inconceivable that one would die without the other knowing. Even as his mind formed the words: "Are you sure?" Bill realised how stupid they were. Of course George was sure. How could Fred die and George not know? Bill felt his tears overflowing as he struggled to his feet, pulling George with him.

"George, come on, we have to get out of this!" Dragging his dazed brother along with him, Bill continued forwards along the corridor, roaring spells at the hooded figures who appeared in their way, barely aware of who they were or where he was. Somehow – he never knew how – he got himself and George through to a place of relative quiet and safety. The dark and gloomy history of magic classroom had remained free of fighters. Bill pushed the door open and steered George into a chair.


	3. For Fred

**Chapter 3 **

Bill stood, irresolute, uncertain of what to do next. George seemed unaware of his presence. His eyes were still wide and terrified, but they were focused far away, on something Bill could not see. Impatiently, Bill brushed away the tears that were blurring his vision, and forced his stunned mind to think. More than anything, he wanted to go back to where they'd last seen Fred and Percy, to find them, to prove that George was wrong, and that Fred was still fighting, his grin firmly in place. But he knew in his heart that George was not wrong. How could he be, about this of all things? With horror, Bill realised what the fact of Percy and Fred having been together might mean. What if Percy, too…? Bill choked back a sob. Not both of them, please, not two of his little brothers. And they had only just got Percy back.

Behind him, George stirred, and Bill turned as he heard his brother's voice. "Bill, I'm okay now. We can't stay here. We have to keep on fighting. For Fred…" George's voice cracked and broke, as Bill crouched beside him, enveloping him in a hug, wanting to make it okay, to make the nightmare that was engulfing them go away.

Both men stood up as they heard sounds of fighting coming nearer in the corridor outside. George wiped his eyes with the back of one hand, gripping his wand in the other, a look of fierce determination on his face, Bill gripped his own wand, and glanced at his brother, who nodded, as Bill advanced and pulled the door open so they could rejoin the fray.

Side by side as before, the two Weasleys advanced. Duelling a hooded figure in front of him, Bill was acutely aware of George beside him, also duelling. As George's opponent went down under a fierce stunning spell, Bill heard George mutter: "That's for Fred, you bastard", before he turned to help Bill. But someone else was before him. A voice from behind the Death Eater yelled "Stupefy!" and he fell, leaving Bill and George face to face with Percy.


	4. Percy's story

Percy's face was white and streaked with blood and tears. His eyes held a furious light that Bill had never seen in them before. Bill thought he had never been so pleased to see someone in the whole course of his life. Percy faltered at the sight of his brothers, taking a step backwards, and his white face going whiter still. "George, Bill. George, I…"he stopped, unable to continue, his voice breaking with emotion. The fall of the two Death Eaters had left the three of them alone for a moment, islanded in a strange calm in the midst of chaos. George stepped forward and gripped Percy's shoulder. "It's okay Perce, I know. I knew when it happened. Fred's dead, isn't he?" Percy nodded, fresh tears coursing down his cheeks. George pulled him into a hug, and the two clung together, both sobbing, unable to do anything but hold each other.

Bill put a hand on a shoulder of each of his brothers, pulling them apart and round to face him. "What happened, Percy?" he asked. Not that knowing would make things any better, but he needed somehow to understand. Percy had at least been with Fred when he died, and George had known, and been felled by the knowledge, of Fred's death at the moment it happened. Bill felt he did not understand as either of his brothers did, and he needed to, he needed to…

Percy swallowed, his arm still round George's shoulder. "We were in that corridor by the Room of Requirement," he whispered, his voice shaking. "Ron and Hermione and Harry turned up, God only knows where from. F-Fred and I were duelling those two Death Eaters who'd backed us down that way. I felled one of them – it was Thicknesse, his hood fell back – and I told him I was resigning. Fred – Fred thought that was hilarious. He was so pleased I'd made a joke." Percy's voice broke on a sob, and George pulled him close again. Percy choked, and swallowed, and rubbed at his eyes furiously, knocking his glasses askew. "Ron and the others stupefied Fred's Death Eater – we thought we were safe for a moment. Then", he swallowed again, but continued determinedly, choking back his tears. "It was like the world exploded. From nowhere – we thought we were safe…" Bill nodded, his face grim. He remembered the huge bang, the flashing lights, the feeling of the world shifting under his feet. And George – George falling down beside him under the weight of an instant appalling realisation.

Percy's voice dropped still further. Above the crashes and screams filling the castle, Bill had to strain to hear him. "The wall, the wall came down. Fred was under it. I don't know if the spell hit him or if it was the wall itself. I was calling him, but I knew he was dead – I knew. Ron was trying to pull me off him. He was still smiling…" Percy broke down completely then, his sobs shaking him until he gasped for breath.

Bill pulled both his brothers close, so that their arms were tangled in a three-way hug. "Come on, Percy, breathe. It's …" Bill's voice tailed off. He couldn't say "It's okay" when it so clearly wasn't, when it never could be again. He wanted to be the clever, strong, brave older brother, putting things right for the others, but this time he couldn't – no one could.


	5. Finding Fred

Direct quotes from the book are in italics.

**Chapter 5**

Suddenly, the relative quiet was shattered by the cold, high voice of Lord Voldemort. _"You have fought valiantly … I command my forces to retreat immediately … dispose of your dead with dignity … treat your injured …Harry Potter … I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest …one hour…"_

Bill, Percy and George pulled apart and looked at each other. The distant bangs and screams had stopped abruptly as Voldemort spoke. Now they were replaced by a buzz of voices. Distantly, they heard Minerva McGonagall's voice raised in command: "Take the injured to the Great Hall. We'll see to them there. The dead too." Bill turned to Percy, aware of what the three of them now had to do. "Perce, where..?" He didn't need to say more. Percy pointed silently, and led Bill and George to the alcove where he and Harry had hidden Fred's body.

George broke down completely when he saw Fred. He pulled his twin into his arms, his whole body racked with sobs. Bill and Percy stood back, knowing that they could not help George right now, and that he needed these few minutes alone with Fred.

"Bill," Percy whispered, "We can't just walk into the Great Hall with him. I mean, if Mum and Dad are there… They won't know unless they've seen Ron and the other two, and I don't know where they went." Bill nodded slowly, realising that Percy was right. "Bloody hell, Percy, _what _are we going to say to them? _How _do we tell Mum?" His voice cracked again at the thought of his parents' reaction. "I'll do it," said Percy, unexpected determination in his voice, but Bill knew this was one task he could not ask his brother to undertake. He was the oldest: this was his job. He swallowed hard, rubbing the heels of his hands into his eyes to stop the tears. "No Perce, I have to do this. I have to. I'll go now and find them. And Ginny." The mention of his baby sister's name brought home to Bill, as nothing else had done, the enormity of their loss. Ginny had idolised the twins, been a willing follower of many of their schemes, the victim of many jokes, but always tagging along whenever they would have her. "I'll go now," he repeated, as firmly as he could manage. "You and George bring Fred."

Percy saw the look in his oldest brother's eyes, and knew from experience that this was one of those times when arguing with him would be fruitless. "Okay," he said, giving Bill a brief hug, before turning back to where George was huddled in the alcove, clinging to Fred's body as he himself had done earlier. Bill saw Percy crouch down and put a hand on George's shoulder, speaking quietly to him. Then, telling himself that he had a job to do, he turned and made his way as quickly as he could towards the Great Hall.

There were groups of people everywhere, some tending to the dead and injured, others just standing looking stunned and uncertain. Bill heard snatches of conversation as he passed: "Remus Lupin's dead. Dolohov got him" "What happened to Flitwick? Does anyone know?" "I saw Harry Potter – I'm sure it was him." "Oh no, not Tonks too? That poor baby…" "One of the Weasley twins, someone said, I don't know which one…" Bill hurried his pace, pushing his way unceremoniously through the crowds. He didn't want his parents to hear this from anyone but him.


	6. Telling Mum and Dad

**Chapter 6**

Finally, he shoved his way through the doors to the Great Hall, and heard almost immediately a shriek of "Bill!" Then his wife was in his arms, sobbing against his chest. "But where were you? I sought zat you were dead…" Bill held her hard against him, even in the midst of his sorrow for Fred delighting in the feeling of having her there, the relief that she was safe almost overpowering him. But this was a moment he could not afford to prolong, however much he would like to. Gently, he pushed Fleur away from him, stroking her silvery fair hair back from her face, and wiping her tears with his fingertips. "Fleur – Mum and Dad – where are they? I have to see them." For the first time, Fleur saw her husband's face clearly, and she gasped, realising something was terribly wrong. "Oh, Bill, no! Who?" she gasped, fresh tears springing up in her eyes. "Fred." The single word was nearly too much for him. Bill was filled with an overwhelming desire to collapse and cry in his wife's arms, to let out some of his grief for his little brother with her warmth and love to comfort him, to allow someone else to be the person to break his parents' hearts.

"Where are Mum and Dad?" he repeated, knowing he could not give way now. Percy and George would even now be making their way to the Great Hall with Fred's body. "Zey are over zere in ze centre," Fleur replied, though her tears, "wiz Remus and Tonks – zey are dead too, boce of zem …" She began to cry again quietly, but freed her husband from her clasp, realising how close to breaking down he was, and how he was steeling himself to break the news of Fred's death to his parents before he lost control completely.

With Fleur behind him, Bill made his way to where his parents were kneeling beside two of the bodies that were being lined up along the middle of the Hall. His father was bent over Remus Lupin, who looked more at peace in death than Bill had ever seen him in life. Beside him, Bill's mother was crying quietly, as she smoothed Tonks' hair – bubblegum pink – back from her bloodied face.

"Mum, Dad…" Bill's voice was husky, but he forced himself to speak firmly, to get through this without breaking down. "Bill!" Molly Weasley scrambled to her feet, and enveloped her firstborn in a hug, half sobbing, half laughing. "You're alright! Thank God!" Arthur Weasley, getting to his feet more slowly than his wife, saw the look on Bill's scarred face as he returned his mother's embrace and realised at once that something was terribly, appallingly wrong. Bill returned his father's look, and their eyes met.

Almost roughly, Arthur pulled his wife from their son's arms, putting one arm round her shoulder, the other hand on Bill's. "Tell us, Bill," he commanded. Molly looked from her husband to her eldest son, belatedly realising there was something she had missed. "Which one?" she whispered, her face a mask of dread. Bill put his free arm around his mother's shoulders, willing his voice not to break. "It's Fred, Mum. He's dead. He was with Percy and Ron – a spell hit the wall where they were. He's dead…" His voice cracked, despite his good intentions. For a full minute, there was silence between the three of them. Bill wanted to run away, not to see the looks on his parents' faces as the realisation hit them, but he couldn't. His father's face was expressionless, but the look in his eyes was bleak and appalled. His mother stared at him wide-eyed, willing him to unsay what he's just told them, but knowing that he couldn't. Then she screamed: "No, no, not Fred; not my Freddie!" before collapsing into her husband's arms, shaking with sobs.

Arthur looked over her head to his son. "Bill, where…?" He couldn't finish the sentence, but Bill understood. "Percy and George are bringing him. They're not far behind me, but we wanted to warn you first." "Then George knows?" There was a note that was almost relief in Arthur's voice. Bill nodded. "Yeah, he knows. He knew when it happened, even though we weren't there. He collapsed at my feet, I thought he was dead…" His voice broke, and he choked. "Then he told me: 'Fred's dead'. I've never seen anyone look so awful… I'm sorry, Dad, I'm sorry. We all started off together, but we got separated. I should have looked after them better. I'm sorry." His father freed a hand from around his sobbing wife and gripped Bill's arm. "No, son, no. Don't think like that. It wasn't your fault."


	7. Family reunion

**Chapter 7**

Bill was aware of a disturbance behind them near the door. Turning, he saw George and Percy carrying Fred's body between them. People drew back from them, clearing a path to the centre of the Hall where Bill, Fleur, Arthur and Molly stood. Bill heard gasps as people recognised Fred; one or two whispers: "Which one is it?" and a cry of "Fred! No!" from Lee Jordan, who was standing a few yards away.

Then there was a high-pitched scream from somewhere near the raised platform at the end of the Hall, as Ginny saw the body. Bill whirled round, and caught Ginny in his arms as she ran forward. She was fighting against him, trying to get to Percy, George and Fred; but Bill held her tightly until Percy and George had laid Fred's body down next to Remus Lupin's. Then he let her go, and she collapsed sobbing to her knees next to Fred. Bill knelt beside her, his arms round her, hating himself for forgetting her earlier, for letting the sight of her adored brother's body be the first clue she had to his death.

Molly had also fallen to her knees, and was lying across Fred's chest, her whole body shaking. Arthur knelt beside her, stroking her hair, tears coursing freely down his cheeks. Bill couldn't remember ever having seen his father cry before. George knelt cradling his twin's head gently between his hands. His face was stiff and expressionless, his eyes wide. Bill turned away, unable to bear the look of utter desolation in his brother's eyes. Percy was standing to one side with Fleur, both of them looking slightly awkward. Bill remembered with a jolt that they hardly knew each other.

Suddenly Ginny was struggling in Bill's arms, pulling away from him. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you warn me? You told everyone else! Wasn't I important enough? Let me go, Bill Weasley! I hate you! I hate you! How could you let me find out like this? How could you? I hate you! Let me go!" Bill knew that Ginny was only lashing out at him because she needed a target for her shock and pain, but he felt that her words – so similar to what he had been thinking himself just minutes earlier –were more than he could bear right now. With a sob, he released Ginny, who pulled away from both Fleur and Percy's hands reaching out to her, and stood by herself at Fred's feet crying.

Bill scrambled to his feet, shaking with the sobs he could no longer contain. Dimly, he was aware of Fleur on one side of him and Percy on the other, with their arms round him. For a few minutes, the world seemed to contract, so that he felt that there was nothing and no one beyond his grieving family gathered around Fred's body, no past and no future.

Then others joined them. Hermione was hugging Ginny: and Ron was beside Percy, who released Bill to sling an arm around his youngest brother's shoulders. They were all here now. Except Charlie. Bill pulled a shaking hand across his eyes. Charlie – how Bill wished he was here now. He would be on his way, Bill knew. There was no way he would let his family fight for the freedom of all of them and stay away himself. But quite where Charlie had been working lately Bill was uncertain. Would he back in time? In time for what? To see Voldemort defeated? That seemed so unlikely now with so many dead and injured. And Harry – surely Harry would give himself up now. Bill knew him well enough to realise that he would not allow more people to die in an apparently hopeless cause if he could prevent it. The thought that Fred had died for nothing was a terrible one, and fresh tears ran down his scarred face. Fleur pulled him closer, whispering words of comfort in a mixture of French and broken English.


	8. Interlude

Again, bits from the book are in italics.

Fleur's accent is a pain to write!

**Chapter 8**

Beside them, Ron stirred and muttered something to Percy, who nodded. "They're still bringing people in from outside," Ron said more loudly, so that all his family could hear. "I'm going to go and help. I want to be doing _something_." "I'll come too," said Ginny; and Hermione nodded. Bill looked at his wife, who nodded too. "We'll all go," he said, laying a hand briefly on his father's shoulder. Arthur turned towards him and whispered: "Okay. Look after each other." Both Molly and George seemed oblivious to anything going on around them. Molly had sat up now, but was clutching one of Fred's hands in both of hers as if it were a lifeline. George continued to cradle Fred's head, his eyes unfocused and desolate.

Bill and the others made their way out of the Great Hall and though the battle-damaged Entrance Hall to the outside. It was pitch black, but there were lights here and there where people were roaming over the wide lawns searching for the injured and the dead. "We'd better split up," said Ron, lighting his own wand. "No point in all of us going together." Bill nodded – Ron was right. "Stay in pairs though," he stipulated. "Dad told us to look after each other." The others nodded, and they split up, Ron and Hermione going in one direction, Percy and Ginny in another, and Bill and Fleur off towards the Forbidden Forest. Bill watched as Ginny and Percy headed off together. Ginny had not spoken to him, or even looked at him, as the six of them made their way out of the Castle. Bill knew she had not forgiven him. Fleur squeezed his hand, understanding what he was thinking. "Bill, she will come arround," she whispered. "You are zhust ze easiest person to take eet out on right now." Bill knew she was right, but Ginny's animosity was more than he could bear at the moment. "Come on," Fleur urged him. "We 'ave work to do."

The two of them set off over the grass, keeping their lit wands low as they searched for the fallen. They had not gone far before they found someone, and for nearly an hour they helped and comforted injured fighters, bringing them back to the relative safety of the Castle. They found bodies too. As Bill lay the body of a young woman he did not know at the end of the lengthening line in the Great Hall, they heard Voldemort's voice magically amplified and raised in triumph. _"Harry Potter is dead … we bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone … kneel before me, and you shall be spared …"_

The silence in the Hall was palpable, and then all at once, everyone began to move towards the Entrance Hall and the doors out of the Castle. As he and Fleur went with the crowd out of the wide doors, Bill saw Ron, Ginny and Hermione pushing their way to the front. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he turned to see his parents, with George between them, and Percy just behind. They all looked as stunned as he felt. Was it really over? Had they lost? _Had_ Fred died for nothing?


	9. He beat you!

Bits from the book still in italics.

And a bad word in this chapter.

**Chapter 9**

Peering over the heads of those in front, Bill saw a line of Death Eaters spreading out facing the Castle. In the centre was Voldemort himself, and the huge figure of Hagrid, cradling Harry's body. From behind him, Bill heard George sob and his father whisper hoarsely: "Oh no!" There were cries from the front of the crowd: Minerva McGonagall's scream of _"NO!" _was followed by those of Ron and Hermione, and Bill gasped at the pain in his sister's voice as she cried out, _"Harry! HARRY!" _Then others in the crowd were yelling and screaming, until Voldemort's cry of: _"SILENCE! It is over!"_ brought an eerie quiet.

Hagrid lay Harry's body down on the grass in front of them, and Bill thought that maybe this really was the end and that they should surrender now and prevent more senseless and wasteful deaths. He felt Fleur squeeze his hand, and he returned the pressure, but he did not look at her. He knew that if he did, he would break down, and his family needed him to stay strong. He was the oldest after all. It was his job to be strong for the others.

It was Ron who broke the silence. _"He beat you!"_ he yelled; and the defenders of Hogwarts were shouting and screaming again. Bill was among them, realising his kid brother was right, that Harry _had_ beaten Voldemort even if he had died doing it, and that even if it cost every one of the rest of them their lives they could not give up now. They could not do that to Fred. Nor to Remus or Tonks or the unknown young woman he had carried in from the grounds, or the many others who had fallen that night in their cause. Voldemort would only be victor when every drop of their blood had been shed, when there was literally no one left to fight. Which brought Bill's thoughts back to Charlie. Where the fuck was Charlie? Bill had never wanted his brother beside him more than at that moment.

Then Voldemort was speaking again, but his words were interrupted by someone stepping forward from the crowd and yelling defiance at him. Bill realised with a start that it was Ron and Harry's friend Neville Longbottom who had been leading the resistance at Hogwarts for the whole of this year. _"Dumbledore's Army" _shouted Neville, and Bill joined in the answering cheer. Then, somehow, the Sorting Hat was aflame on Neville's head, and he was screaming, unable to move. The crowd was pushing and shoving, all trying to see what was going on. Bill put his arm round Fleur, trying to keep her upright beside him against the buffeting of the crowd, craning to see what was happening.

Then many things happened at once. There was the noise of hundreds of people running towards the castle, their cries and war whoops louder than anything Bill had heard that night. There was a giant coming over the wide lawns yelling: _"HAGGER!" _and even as Voldemort's own giants turned on him, there was the sound of hooves and a flurry of arrows, and the Death Eater line was breaking down in confusion. And suddenly – God only knew from where – Neville Longbottom was wielding the sword of Godric Gryffindor, and cutting off the head of Voldemort's snake familiar. Bill heard Hagrid yell, _"WHERE'S HARRY?" _and he and the rest of the Hogwarts defenders together with the Death Eaters were being forced back into the castle by the sheer weight of numbers of the new arrivals.


	10. Brothers reunited

Another bad word in this chapter (sorry, Ann, it's the last time I think!)

**Chapter 10**

Bill felt Fleur pulled away from his side by the pressure of the crowd in the Entrance Hall. He cried out her name and tried to grab her hand, but was too late. He saw a flash of her silvery hair as she was carried away from him by the crush, and as spells began to fly and the air was filled with renewed screams and crashes. Bill pulled out his wand and joined in the fray. He had no idea where Fleur or the rest of his family were now, and the refrain of: "Please let them be okay" was beginning in his head once more.

Bill was forced by the crowd into the Great Hall as still more people poured through the doors into the devastated Entrance Hall. Suddenly, there was a flash of red fire, and Bill felt a searing pain across his forehead and cheek as a spell hit him and reopened the partially healed scars from Fenrir Greyback's attack. He fell backwards, dropping his wand and gasping in agony, half-blinded with his own blood. Through the blood in his eyes, he saw a hooded figure standing in front of him, and he knew he was going to die. He closed his eyes, waiting.

Then there was a furious yell of: "Stupefy!" from behind the Death Eater, and the figure fell forward, trapping Bill under his body. Through a haze of pain, Bill was aware of someone hauling the Death Eater off him and crying, "Bill! Bill! Are you okay? Please don't be dead! Please! Bill!"

"Ch-Charlie?" he croaked, hardly daring to believe it. "Charlie!" Then the two brothers were in each other's arms, and Charlie was crying as he held Bill tightly. "Don't fucking _do _that to me! I thought you were dead! I thought I'd lost you!" Bill remembered then that Charlie didn't yet know who he _had _lost, and that here was still one more person to whom he had to break the news of Fred's death, but for a minute he just gloried in having his favourite brother close again.

Then he pulled away from the hug, wiping the blood from his face with the edge of his robes, and looking Charlie in the eyes. For a brief moment, Charlie looked back, half-grinning, but then he saw something in his older brother's expression and his grin faded. "Oh God, no, Bill! Who? Which one…?" Bill was crying again, tears and blood mingling on his scarred cheeks. "Fred. It's Fred. He's dead, Charlie, he's dead." Charlie's sobs joined with his own, and the two clung together on the floor as the battle raged around them.


	11. Not my daughter!

This is a really short chapter, but I need it before Harry's big scene with Voldemort. It contains my favourite line from the whole book - go Molly!

**Chapter 11**

Uncharacteristically, it was Charlie who recovered first. "Come on Bill, we need to get you out of here. You're not fit to fight any more." But as he gripped Bill's arm to help him up, the crowd in front of them parted, and they heard a familiar voice: _"NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!" _

Bill cried out, and heard Charlie moan, "Mum…" as spells began to sear the air between their mother and Bellatrix Lestrange. Further away from them, Voldemort was duelling three opponents at once, but Bill and Charlie had no attention to spare for that fight. Clutching each other's hands, Bill still half-lying where he had fallen, with Charlie kneeling beside him, the brothers watched their mother fighting for her life and fighting to kill. _"You – will – never – touch – our – children – again!" _screamed Molly, and her curse hit Bellatrix full in the chest and she fell. Bill heard himself roaring appreciation with the rest of the crowd, and heard Charlie laughing beside him yelling: "Go, Mum! Go!"

But then Bill felt his heart lurch as Voldemort turned the full force of his fury onto Molly, blasting his three opponents backwards as if they were of no consequence at all "Oh, Mum, no…" he groaned. Charlie was on his feet, heading towards Molly and Voldemort, and Bill could see his father and Percy both struggling through the crowd opposite to reach them, but he knew with a sickening certainty that none of them would get there in time, that they were going to lose their mother as they had lost their brother.


	12. The end

Another short one. I know this goes on a lot longer in the book, but I didn't see the point of re-writing what JKR has done so much better.

**Chapter 12**

Then, from nowhere, there was a shout of: "Protego!" and a shield charm sprung up between Molly and Voldemort. And incredibly, impossibly, Harry was there, circling Voldemort; and the cries of delight around them were stifled by fear, and silence fell.

"_I don't want anyone else to try to help … It's got to be like this. It's got to be me." _Harry's voice was loud in the silent Hall.

Bill's head was spinning. He had lost a lot of blood, and was still bleeding. The pain from his reopened scars was becoming unbearable. He was struggling to remain conscious, to understand what was going on. Then Charlie was back beside him, his arm round his shoulders, keeping him upright as they watched the exchange between Harry and Voldemort. "Avada Kedavra!" "Expelliarmus!" Voldemort's and Harry's spells were almost simultaneous, and Voldemort's wand was flying through the air, and Harry was catching it, and Voldemort was falling, and he was dead, and it was _over_.

Bill felt Charlie hauling him to his feet, and then the pair of them were in the crowd around Harry, laughing and yelling and crying, and trying to reach him. Then, as Bill drew back from the melee in the centre of the Hall, Fleur was in his arms once more, crying out in shock as she saw his bloodstained face and robes and the reopened scars on his cheek and forehead. And he was trying to tell her that he was okay, that she did not need to worry, but the world was turning black around him, and he was falling …


	13. In Madam Pomfrey's care

This one's longer. Those of you who don't like Ginny might want to skip the first bit, as she's making another scene.

**Chapter 13**

When he came to, Bill was lying on the floor on the platform at the end of the Great Hall. Fleur was holding his hand, and his mother was beside him, and someone was sobbing and clutching at the front of his robes. "Easy, Gin, easy. He's okay, he just fainted." Charlie's voice seemed to be coming from a long way away. "I thought he was dead too! And I told him I hated him! I thought he'd died too! Oh, Bill! Bill!" Bill had never heard his little sister crying like this: it was a standing joke that as the only girl in a family of seven children she was the one who never ever cried. With an effort that seemed to take all the strength he had left, he lifted his free hand and stroked his sister's hair. "I'm okay, Ginny," he croaked. "I'm okay. It's alright, I know you didn't mean it. Just stop strangling me, would you?" Ginny choked, and seemed to be making an effort to control herself. Her grip on the front of Bill's robes slackened as she sat up and Charlie pulled her into his arms.

Bill closed his eyes again, feeling Fleur's hands stroking his ravaged face, and distantly hearing his mother saying something to Madam Pomfrey about comfrey ointment and dittany.

They would not let him get up, and eventually Madam Pomfrey's remedies stopped his wounds from bleeding, although they were still raw, and the pain was as bad as it had been immediately after Greyback's attack nearly a year ago. Fleur would not leave his side, but finally succumbed to exhaustion and slept, her head pillowed on his shoulder. Madam Pomfrey was saying something about St. Mungo's, and Bill mustered his remaining energy to protest, to tell her he just wanted to go home. She gave him a stern look, and muttered: "We'll see what your mother has to say about that, young man," sounding just as she had when he was fourteen and had burnt most of the skin off his hands in a disastrous attempt to liven up a dull Potions lesson.

Surprisingly, however, his mother backed him up. "No, Poppy," she said firmly to Madam Pomfrey. "We've lost Fred. We need to be together right now. Bill's coming back to The Burrow with the rest of us. Fleur and I are quite capable of looking after him – we've done it before." Bill thought Madam Pomfrey might argue, but she did not. Instead, she pulled his mother into a brief hug, her eyes suspiciously bright. "Of course you want to be together, Molly," she whispered. "I'm so, so sorry…"

Bill managed a faint grin for his mother, and squeezed her hand. "Thanks, Mum." Molly's tears overflowed as she knelt and held her eldest son close. "Oh, Bill," she choked, "Charlie told us what happened. We could have lost you too…" Beside Bill, Fleur stirred and woke, pushing her hair back from her face and blinking at her husband and his mother as she took in what Molly had just said. "Bill!" she cried. "Is zat true? You deed not tell me zat!" "Charlie saved my life," Bill confirmed, putting an arm around her and kissing her, "But I'm okay, you don't need to cry like that." But, despite his words, Fleur was clinging to his arm and crying as if she would never stop. Beside them, Molly choked back her tears and wiped her eyes. "Come on, Fleur," she said, with something of her old brisk manner, pulling her daughter-in-law to her feet. "Bill doesn't need us weeping all over him. Let's find ourselves a cup of tea." Fleur snorted. "You Eenglish!" she complained, "You sink a cup off tea can cure anysing!" But she allowed herself to be led away, leaving Bill alone.


	14. Where's George?

Nearly there! These last few chapters are a complete re-write as I realised I had too much Bill and not enough Fred and George in the original version. Thanks to Amy for her input!

**Chapter 14**

Bill was quite glad to be left alone for a few minutes. It was good not to have to worry about anyone else for a while. But his ingrained habits as the oldest of a large family rapidly reasserted themselves, and he found himself looking round the Great Hall for his parents and siblings, needing to make sure they were all okay. He could see his father in one corner, deep in conversation with Professor McGonagall. His mother and Fleur were drinking tea at one of the long tables, and Ron and Ginny were among a large group of Hogwarts students at the far end of the Hall. Charlie and Percy were sitting at another of the tables talking quietly, each with a bottle of butterbeer in front of him.

But where were the twins? Bill stopped himself abruptly as he remembered that there was no "the twins" any more. Now it was just George. Poor George. Fred's death was dreadful for all of them, but Bill could not bear to imagine how much worse it must be for his twin. With mounting anxiety, he scanned the Hall for him. One thing about being a family of redheads, they were usually easy to spot in a crowd. But there was no sign of George anywhere, and Bill was worried. George should not be on his own right now.

With a surreptitious look at Madam Pomfrey, who was fortunately busy with one of her other patients, Bill clambered to his feet, holding onto the wall for support. He knew that they had moved the bodies of the fallen into the rooms adjoining the Great Hall, and that seemed like a good place to start. Where Fred was, you were likely to find George too…

He made his way slowly out of the Great Hall, cursing his own weakness and the increased pain in his face as he moved. In the first room he entered, the bodies of Lupin and Tonks lay with several more. Despite his anxiety for George, Bill knelt for a few minutes beside Lupin, mourning for his friend. Remus had been so good to him last year, after he had been injured. He had been the only person who had truly understood just how terrified Bill had been as the first full moon after his mauling by Greyback had approached. Bill would miss him.


	15. Going home

So this is the end. I like it much better than the original one I wrote. Hope you like it too.

(BTW I have no idea what colour the twins' eyes are. I figured that if Ron's are blue and Ginny's brown, guessing at one of those was a pretty good bet. If you know better, please let me know.)

**Chapter 15**

Fred's body lay with others in the next room, and Bill had been right – George was there too. He was sitting beside Fred, not touching him, his knees drawn up to his chest and his arms round his knees. He was not crying. His face bore the blank stunned expression it had had since he and Percy carried Fred into the Great Hall. He looked up as Bill entered, and a look of alarm came into his brown eyes.

"Blimey, Bill, you look awful! What are you doing here? You're not telling me Madam Pomfrey let you out of her clutches?"

"No, I ran away – or walked rather," Bill said, managing a small smile for his brother as he gingerly eased himself down on the floor beside him. "I was worried about you."

George gave a mirthless laugh. "Oh, you don't need to worry about _me_. _I'm _okay."

Bill said nothing, but laid a hand on one of George's. For a few moments, they sat in silence.

Then George pulled abruptly away from Bill and stood up. "I can't do this, Bill, I can't," he choked, averting his face from his brother, "What am I going to do without him? I'm so used to being half of Fred and George, I don't know how to be just George." His whole body was racked with horrible gasping sobs, and he leaned against the wall for support.

Bill knew that if he tried to stand up again he would pass out, but he reached up a hand and gripped one of George's. "Come here, Georgie, please…" George half fell down beside his older brother, and Bill held him close as he sobbed and shook.

Their father found them there more than an hour later. George had cried himself to sleep in Bill's arms, and Bill had remained where he was beside Fred's body, continuing to cradle his brother, hoping that his presence would bring him some small measure of comfort as he slept. The sight of the two of them huddled together on the floor brought fresh tears to Arthur's eyes, and he crouched down beside them, putting a hand gently on a shoulder of each. "It's time to go home, boys," he whispered quietly as George woke. "Time to take Fred home…"

The Weasley family, with Harry and Hermione in tow, walked down the front steps of the Castle to the three waiting carriages. Arthur, George and Percy were carrying Fred's body between them. Bill walked between Fleur and Charlie, grateful for Charlie's strong arm around him supporting him and for Fleur's warm hand in his. As they neared the foot of the stairs, Bill gasped at the sight of the Thestrals pulling the carriages, and heard the others doing the same. Of course – they had all seen death now…

The carriages whirled them rapidly down the long drive to beyond the Castle gates where they could Disapparate. Still supported between Charlie and Fleur, Bill felt the familiar constricting darkness as he twisted on the spot and Apparated back at The Burrow. It was good to be home.


End file.
